Dead Like Me: The Kiss of Death
by Tatoose
Summary: George is the new Head Reaper of the Seattle District and she's about to experience new and crazier adventures on her Undead life. Sequel of Dead Like Me: Life After Death.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

One thing that sucks about my life is that there are things that I have to forget and things that I have to let go especially on the romantic side. And for someone who died a loner, a NBSB, and a virgin at the age of 18, that's a lot of things…well the latter part had somehow changed somewhere after I died but the rest still doesn't apply which make things more fucked up and feel a lot worse than it already is.

Anyway, been there done that, get through it and I moved on.

I can't have romance. And even though it sucks, dealing with it is all I can do. That's why I find it a good thing that my responsibilities are expanding after being promoted from both of my Day and Compulsory jobs. It diverts a lot of attention.

My name is George Lass. Five years ago my life was snatched away by a toilet seat from an old space station. I could have died completely and walked to my light back then but since the Reaper that pull out my soul had already reached his quota I must take his place and join the band of the undead known as the Grim Reapers aka Death's Minions.

Unlike what the living sees in movies and in televisions, we Grimm Reapers don't wear dark cloak and carry huge scythes, we actually looks fairly normal except that we can extract souls from the living and drink a lot of tequilas without having a hangover. But aside from that, we look as normal as the average Joe that people often sees in the street and wherever God knows where. We don't have special privileges, or any superpowers, and we still need to find a job if we wanted to eat.

Anyway, about a month ago, after working under his supervision for 5 years, Rube, our boss mysteriously disappeared. Cameron, the asshole that replaced him says that Rube had finally got his light and joined his family in his final destination. This is where things get out of control when Cameron screwed up everything along with my once responsible, aside from Mason, fellow Reapers. Natural order gets screwed, Reaps taken for granted, wrong schedules of deaths, and not to mention the abuse of the little powers that we have.

Eventually, Roxy, the cynical, no nonsense woman, the fuck up Mason, and the lonely girl under the bitchy surface Daisy finally got into their senses and took care of the catastrophic situation before it gotten a lot worst.

They succeeded in eliminating Cameron and blasting his ashes into the atmosphere along with the poor little Murray. However, the damage was already done and somebody must take over to fix it. And unfortunately, that somebody is none other than Me.

Yeah, I'm so fucked.

So, that's how my afterlife goes now. I'm the new Head Reaper of the Seattle District. I get the list, first thing in the morning, I assigned them, and we go reaping in the same old fashion way with the post-its. And thanks also to Kiffany who introduced us into a new Waffle House where she'd been transferred after the old one was burned down, we had found another comfortable hanging place.

The old fashion way was way better, or should I say the Rube fashion way was better. It took me some times though to return it back to the same way it is after Cameron screwed it up. But well, things are back to normal with me being in-charge.

Well, enough for that. That's the screwed up past and the past that I fixed in order to place some dignity on the present. It's my second week right now of being the new Head Reaper, and even though I'm still on the adjustment stage, I think I'm somehow making a good job so far, well, no one complains for starters.

"Coffee?" Kiffany offered as I transfer the death schedules from the list to the post its.

"Yes, please," I said and she poured the dark liquid into my cup.

"Okay, here are the Reaps for today," I told my fellow Reapers when Kiffany left, handing them their post-its.

"Hey, this one is due in 15 minutes," complained Roxy.

"Then you better get going," I replied with the smallest interest on her complains.

"Oh fuck this!" Roxy clenched her teeth and left.

"Why am I the only one getting two?" Mason asked.

"Because they're living under the same roof."

"Oh I hope it's not another Gay couple."

"What's wrong with a Gay couple?" Daisy asked.

Mason shifted his position on the cushioned chair from an almost lying one and leaned his elbows on the table, reading his post-its. "Nothing, I just have an awful experience reaping one."

"Georgia, what do you think of my new lipstick?" Daisy shifted her attention to me and as expected she's asking bullshits.

"It's a lipstick," I said impassively.

As usual again, that didn't quite stop her. "How about the color?"

"It's pink."

"Does it look good on my lips?" she asked, pouting her now painted lips.

"I don't actually give a shit." I then looked to my wristwatch and sighed. "Oh fuck! I better go."

"See ya," Daisy raised her hand and wiggled her fingers.

Mason lazily raised his hand, "Bye."

* * *

By four o'clock I left Happy Time for my reaping appointment. One advantage that I really liked when I started working in front of a bigger table is the privilege of timing out without making much excuse as before.

"Millie." Except if Delores caught me. "Where are you going?"

Here we go again. "I need to arrange something," I said. "Need a ride?"

"You wouldn't mind? I can't still drive that well yet." Delores said in teary eyes.

I slashed my head sideways, "Nope."

I arrived at the park after I dropped Delores on the pet shop. She's on a quest of finding a new companion in life after losing her cat, Murray, which had greatly struck her on the emotional side.

After parking my car and finding a good place to sit, look, and observe, I shifted my senses into the maximum for possible candidates, for Gravelings, for possible cause of death, technically everything that would help me identifies my Reap.

"Looking for someone?" I flinched on the sound of his voice and on the fact that I didn't notice that somebody had actually seated beside me. Whoa! Where the fuck did he came from? "Sorry, did I startle you?"

Flitting a look to my right, I instantly regained my composure and replied, "No, not really." I replaced my attention back to my surroundings again…still no sign. Ten minutes had passed and the situation remains the same, so I returned my attention back to him and I noticed that he was writing in a small notebook, and even though it wasn't on my nature to intrude into other people's personal business, there is something that pulled me towards him. "What are you writing?"

"Schedules," he said while scribbling it down, each strokes of his hands are both precise and lazy at the same time. "How about you? Who are you looking for?"

I asked myself on how he knew that I'm actually looking for someone, someone to Reap to be exact. Was I that obvious? Anyhow, I found no reason to deny what I believe is obvious to him and he doesn't even know my real intention on this person, so why bother making a time consuming excuse. "Someone named L. Gordon," I said, rechecking the name and ETD on my post-it.

He looked around and then scribed something down, and then he turns to me. "Do you personally know him?"

"No." Except that he's going to die in 5 minutes.

"Do you know what he looks like?" he continued, still scribbling on his notebook.

"Another no," I grinned.

He shook his head. "Well, that's a pain," he said, looking through the crowd of people gathering and doing their own things in the park. "He could be anyone in this cluster."

"I know."

He smiled and extended his hand to me, "Mortuus Faux."

"Millie," I said as I shake his hand. "Nice name."

"Just call me Mark, that name is kind of…complicated."

I nodded and said, "Sure…Mark."

Okay, I'm definitely a big fat liar if I said that I was not amused by him. He's an interesting kind of guy and I'll be lying also if I said that I don't find him attractive especially that he's probably the hottest guy I'd ever lay my eyes on. And that was even an understatement. "You need a hand?"

I don't know what the fuck had got into me but I answered, "Why not."

He then looked around, as clueless as I am. "How about him?" He pointed a middle-aged African-American guy doing some jogging. "Mr. Gordon!" he called out for him.

The dark skinned guy responded and ceased his jog. Wiping some sweat from his head by the towel hanged around his neck, he approached and asked, "Yes?"

My mouth fell open, amazed. What a devil's luck. He found my guy in first try.

"May I help you, kids?" L. Gordon asked Mark and then glanced to me.

"My friend here might be looking for you?" Mark turned to me. "Is he your L. Gordon?"

"Are you Larry Gordon?" I asked him. Of course I made up a name out of the first letter, whether I get it right or not it will still confirm if he is my Reap or not.

"No, Lucas," he corrected me. "Lucas Gordon."

He's my guy. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was looking for a Larry Gordon." I then took that opportunity to place my Reaper touch on his forearm and swipe his soul just a minute before his death. "Sorry for the bother."

"No problem," he said and resume jogging. His last jogging to be exact. By then the troublemaking Gravelings finally made their appearance and I wonder what their tricks are this time.

Sixty seconds later that question was answered. While passing through a tree, he didn't notice that someone was cutting a huge branch above. The Graveling untied Larry's shoelace forcing him to stop right above the huge branch that was being cut. The man above didn't notice him and continued sawing it. The branch fell, smashing Larry Gordon dead.

"Geez, is he dead?" asked Mark as soon as he got aware of the event.

Larry's soul then materialized beside me, standing still in confusion. "Yes, yes he is."

"That's just nasty," he commented, and he sounds more amused on the event than being disgusted.

"Tell me about it." While Mark was paying attention to the building crowd and commotion around Lucas' Gordon's lifeless body, I whispered to his soul, "Hey, do you see a blinding light from right here?"

His eyes got fixed into something from afar. "Yes," he nodded, mystified but ecstatic.

"Do me a favor, go to that light. Okay?"

"Is that where I'm going now?"

"Yeah," I whispered. And then he was gone.

I almost jumped from where I was sitting when I found Mark staring at me when I turned to his way. "Who are you talking to?"

"Uhm…no it's nothing."

"You sure?"

Oh great, now he thinks that I'm some kind of psycho now. "Yeah," I bit my lower lip. "I'm just kind of thinking out loud."

"You think your L. Gordon is still gonna show up."

He showed up alright, unlikely that he's show up again since he's dead. "Maybe not," I looked at my watched. "Its pass five already, my boss said that if he don't show up in time, leave."

"So you're leaving then?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

"You sure he was not your L. Gordon?" he pointed his thumb towards Gordon's dead body.

"Even though it's him, I don't think that he can still go with me and like I said I'm looking for a Larry," I lied.

"And I'm looking for a coffee," he stared at me, meeting my eyes. I couldn't help but to stare back, eye to eye, locking it and locking it good. "Why don't you join me?"

His offer is very tempting plus I have nothing else to do, so why not. "Sure."

**END OF CHAPTER 1**


	2. Chapter 2

Seattle is not kind of big of a city but it's certainly not a small one too. So I don't know what kind of a Universal Energy is screwing up with me that I find myself bumping into Mark in an almost daily manner. It had been a week since we'd met at the park where he'd also unwarily helped me with my Reap and then invite me for a coffee. That encounter had been short but I enjoyed it.

Mark is a nice guy. Sweet, charming, handsome, and not an asshole, defective, or unstable like some of the guys that I'd met before. Another thing is that I see myself on him. He's like a male version of me just a little more composed, calm, and mature but in the overall, I can see myself somewhere in him.

I was just done with my Reap that day when I cross path with him again.

"You following me?" he teased.

"No," I replied, half-amused and faintly offended. "You following me?"

"I got here first," he said, sending us both laughing. "It's the fourth time, right?"

"Yeah," I said and we started to have a walk. "What are you doing here?"

"Working."

My eyes darted on his hand that holds that small notebook that he always carries around. "What kind of work?"

"Arranging schedules, estimating times, listing names of people, etc.," he groaned, inserting his notebook under his jacket. "It sucks."

"It's that bad?"

"Not really. Actually, it's not the job which is the problem, it's me. I don't like doing it. I believe I'm supposed to be doing something else, something more…something I want. And it sucks that I'm stuck in this sickass job just because it's what people are expecting me to do."

"Then why don't you quit?"

He laughed, flashing those white teeth. "I wish I can but my job is kind of compulsory."

Just like my job. No paycheck, no insurance, and very compulsory. I know I'd said this before but I mean what kind of Universe would give me the ability to pull out people's soul if I still need to be stuck in a sickass job if I wanted to eat.

"Hey," he tapped my shoulder, urging me to turn my head to him.

"Yeah?"

He pointed into an ice cream van parked in a sidewalk ahead of us. "Let's have some ice cream, my treat."

But before I could answer, he took my hand and dragged me towards the ice cream van. It was the first time that he'd held me for a long time especially on my hand and it feel so fucking good. His hand is soft and strong and it emits a weird mixture of heat and coldness that send a lot of shivers through me. My heart pound and my pulse raced as he walk me to the van, I don't know how long it took us to reach there, maybe a few second but it feels longer on my personal clock.

I only snapped from my state of trance when I heard his voice again. "What flavor do you want?"

"Huh?…W-what? What did you say?"

"I said what flavor do you want?"

I looked up, flinched a bit upon meeting the apathetic, zombie-like gaze of the overweight ice cream vendor. "Chocolate please," I grinned sardonically. He glared back at me and then served our orders.

"What a weird guy," Mark commented when we left, taking a nibble on his ice cream.

"He reminds me someone," I chuckled.

"Who?"

"A co-worker. They have the same stare."

"As bad?"

"Lot worst."

* * *

1, 2, 3. Arghhh! My tapping on the table is bringing me more annoyance than relief. It's like I'm intensifying the invisible click of time using my fingers in order to purposely torture myself.

What's taking it so long? I glanced on the door again. Still no sign of him and I'm going to be late to my work if he won't show up any sooner.

"Just give me that fucking list already."

Finally, a shadow emits from the small gap between the bottom of the door and floor. _At last! _I breathed in relief. But as I make my way to the door I was taken aback when the person from the outside didn't slid an envelope under the door as what I would expect it to do but instead it knocks.

That's weird. He doesn't knock. Damn! He doesn't even want to be noticed if possible. But curiosity wins, so I still went to the door and opened it. At first I thought that I'm finally going to meet the messenger face to face, to know what he looks like, or if he is scary or not. But no, it wasn't him. The person behind that door was someone a lot scarier having around.

"Hi George," my sister smiled at me.

I was frozen for a few seconds trying to absorb everything, and then realization hits me, the ugly reality hits me, and the fact that my little sister in my front door hits me. So I snapped. "Reggie!" I exclaimed, my eyes darting to the luggages beside her. "What the fuck!"

"Can I stay here?"

"NO!"

"Please," she pleaded.

"Wait the minute. What the fuck are you doing here? I thought you're in Canada with Mom?"

"We were?" she said, feigning an innocent face which I didn't buy. Fuck! I didn't even know she's capable of doing that. Teenage years sure do some weird things on kids.

"REGGIE!"

"Okay, okay, I'll explain everything…but can you let me in first. I'm tired from the trip and my legs hurts you know."

I sighed, gathering my calm. I stepped aside and let her inside. She walked immediately towards the couch where she rested her legs. "What happened?" I crossed my arms on my chest, glaring at her intently. "Did you have a fight with Mom?"

"No…actually it was the opposite, we did great in Canada."

"If it's great, why are you here?"

"Because the publisher of Mom's book called and they said that they want to hire her as a column writer on their Magazine about lives of Moms. She's kind of on the 'giving advice' part of that."

Advice? From Mom? What the hell! "That sounds good."

"Yeah, it is."

Yeah, that sounds pretty good. I mean Mom had never really been that much good in anything except putting too much order over things. So I'm glad that she finally found something where she knows she's good at. But of course even though it appears to be a good thing, Reggie won't be here in my apartment if there's no 'but' involved on it. "But…"

"But a part of the job is that Mom has to live near their office and that office is in New York."

"They're demanding a permanent residence?" I asked. Reggie nodded. "And that's a bad thing because…" There were dints of teasing on my way of delivering my sentence.

Reggie rolled her eyes, raising her hands in surrender. "Okay, fine. I admit it. I can't stay away from you. Yes, I said that I should be and I really mean that. But when Mom said that we're going to be away for good, I started to have doubts. I realize that I can't stay away from you especially now that we're finally starting becoming sisters after ignoring each other for almost the rest our lives."

I really don't want her around, that's part of the Grim Reaper job description. But after what I'd just heard, I'm willing to break any fucking laws. I sighed. "You'll help on the cleaning here."

Reggie's face lit up. "So you're cool having me?"

"Yeah, I'm cool with it but what about Mom?"

"Well I told her that I'm not yet sure if I can really live there with her, so I asked her to give me some time to think about it. After all I'm 17. I'm only a year behind from moving my ass out of her house."

"Are you really sure about this? Remember, I don't live a normal Apple Pie life."

"And I'm no longer living in a normal world anymore, George. Of all the people, you should know that."

Yeah, of course. That very moment that I'd exposed myself to her and reaped her boyfriend I'd already snatch away her normal world. "Yeah, I know." Tears started to pool from the back of my eyes, I smiled and opened my arms wide for my little sister. "Come over here."

I hugged Reggie so tightly that it almost got her breathless. I'd never been a big sister to her when I was still alive and the time that we spend recently had been short for me to make it up to her. Now I was given another chance and I'll be a fool if I refuse to grab it.

"I miss you so much."

"I miss you too," Reggie sniffled back her tears. "By the way," she said as we pulled away from each other. "I found this on your doorstep," she raised an envelope towards me.

"Ah shit!" I immediately snatched it away from her hand and looked at the time. "I'm late!" I scrambled to gather my stuff. "I need to go Reg. Just arrange your stuffs. Use the vacant room next to mine. There's food on fridge. You can handle yourself, right?"

"Of course."

* * *

"What the hell?" Okay, this is weird, I rechecked the schedules of deaths on my notebook and there's no one expected to die here in Happy Time. So what the fuck are those Gravelings up to? They are almost everywhere around me with a number above the ordinary. Usually 3 up to 4 of them in the max showed up in a single place, but right now there about a dozen lurking all over our office. So what the hell is going on? This is pretty weird even for me.

"Millie?" The Gravelings disintegrated into smokes when they saw Delores approaching to my table. Now, that's even weirder! "Someone's looking for you."

Before I could ask who, it was answered when Mark materialized from behind Delores and approached me carrying a bouquet of flower and a box of chocolate. "Hi Millie."

"Mark?" I instantly bounced up from my seat. He didn't pause until he stood before me and give me a light, gentle kiss on the cheek.

Delores stood beside us and cleared her throat. "Millie," she was beaming like a teasing dog with rabies. "Why don't you take a break so you can entertain your friend?" And then she gave me that familiar wink that always makes me shudder before she left.

Mark raised his eyebrow, "Should I know what that mean?"

I grinned nervously. "No. I definitely prefer that you didn't."

"Well, I got this for you," he handed me the flowers and candy.

It was corny and clichéd and yet it made my heart pound, no man had ever given me flowers and chocolates before. "Thanks." I leaned slightly to scent the roses. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I'm here to invite you."

"What?" Oh boy, I hope I didn't hear that right.

"I was wondering if I can invite you for dinner tomorrow."

Ah shit! I really heard it right. Damn it! This is what I hate so much when making connection to the opposite sex especially if they're at the same age as mine. It starts a faint correlation and then it grows. I started to like the guy, it turns out he likes me too, and then there it is, I'll start to forget and get swayed by the moment until the bitter reality struck my ass painfully again.

He's human and alive while I'm a fucking Reaper and dead. He'll progress and then wither while my age remained untouched.

"Oh, dinner…like a date?" I breathed out the words quite painfully.

Mark looked down sheepishly. "Yeah."

"_Sure, that sounds nice."_ That's the answer that I wanted to then this is reality. "I…can't," I almost choked out the words.

His face was immediately tainted with defeat and disappointment. "Why not?"

"I…I-I have a lots of errands tomorrow…Yeah, errands. My sister just moved in with me so I have to take care of her for a while."

"Oh, I see," he said, trying to mask his expression, his disappointment, and most of all his feeling of rejection especially that it was evident on me that I was just making excuses. "Okay, maybe next time."

I really hope that there will be a next time. If only I can just say yes. "Sure…if I have some free time."

"Just call me if you change your mind."

"Of course."

As I watch him leave, it feels like my undead heart is shattering piece by piece. It's a 'one in a million' chance that any girl will find a decent man in this screwed up universe and I somehow got that. However, that kind of offered chances are only meant for a living girl not someone who is dead like me.

**END OF CHAPTER 2**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"George, George," Reggie called for the fourth time, poking me as I still refused to move my ass from the couch, lying on my stomach with my head buried tightly on the soft cushion. "Are you okay? You look like hell."

"Shut up," I whined against the pillow.

Reggie seated on the matted floor beside my head. "Did something bad happen?"

"Bad is an understatement," I corrected her. Bad is not even the right word to explain it. "I feel horrible."

"Is it about work?" she asked, I shook my head. "The other work?"

Again, I shook my head no. "Personal."

"Oh…That thing," she said, finally figuring it out. I nodded this time then groaned. "That bad?" I whined my answer back. "He didn't like you?"

"The opposite, he likes me. And I also like him a lot."

"If that's the case then why are you shitting like this?"

"Because I'm dead, Reggie, and dead people don't entertain relationships. So I have to push him away and he saw everything through it. Now, he walks out of my life thinking that I'm a jerk while I feel like a jerk."

"Wow. That just sucks."

"Tell me about it." And then it was followed by an odd silence. "Reggie?"

"Yeah?"

I turned my head to the left to face her. "What does it feels like?"

"Feels like what?"

"Having a boyfriend? Being in a relationship?"

Reggie's face immediately expressed sadness. It had only been months since her boyfriend Hudson died after a motorcycle accident where I have to reap his soul myself. His last wish before he stepped into his light was to tell Reggie that he loved her and he's sorry that he can no longer make it up to her. "It feels nice. Even though it was far from perfect and something that no one can call normal, it still feels nice, especially that you know that his heart belongs to you."

"If that's it then why didn't he break up with his bitch girlfriend to be with you? Why did he choose to hide you in the shadow while you let him?"

"Because he's shallow and afraid, he always does what everyone is expecting him to do. And they expect him to be the Mr. Popular dating the Ms. Popular and not someone like me."

"He's a jerk!" No wonder he looks so down and sorry before he crossed his light. There is a lot of mess that he left behind that he wishes to fix, starting from my sister.

"Yeah, he is…But he loved me. And even though the world never saw that, it existed and it's real. And for me, that's more than enough."

Now I feel a lot of worst.

"Why did you ask?"

"I have no idea. Maybe I just wanna know what it would feel like. You know, people are always curious on things that they can never have. And being dead doesn't exempt me that."

"Well, who is he anyway?"

"His name is Mark Faux."

Reggie grinned. "Is he cute?"

"Very cute," I replied. "But that doesn't matter now," I told Reggie as I rose up from the couch. "He's out of my afterlife. Forever."

"Why don't you give it another try?" she asked, following me to the kitchen.

I opened the fridge and pull out the pitcher of orange juice. "I highly doubt it," I said as I went to the counter, take a glass and poured the juice. "I'm a Grim Reaper. My job is to observe at the side while things will go on and make sure that they will go on up to the end."

"Okay," she shrugged. "For how long?"

I set the pitcher down and faced Reggie. "Forever, until I reap enough souls for me to finally crossover to my light."

"And how many souls is that?"

"I don't know. It's secret quota that only the Upper Management knows. I'll just know if I already worked enough when it finally arrives. I think it will just snatch me out of nowhere the same way that the toilet seat had snatched away my life."

"That's not funny, George."

"I'm not laughing," I said, drinking my juice bitterly. After I finished drinking, I sighed in frustration as I settled down my glass on the table. "I'm tired, I need some rest."

* * *

"Your place is nice," Reggie commented. "How long you've been living here?"

"Two months," I said, sipping on my coffee while massaging my aching head. I was too exhausted last night but for some annoying reason I found a hard time falling asleep. "I got this place from Cameron after my fellow Reapers get rid of him."

"Who's Cameron?"

"The asshole Head Reaper before me," I told her, refilling my cup for the 3rd time. "He was a huge pain in the ass." And I pity Murray that he has to share his urn with him.

"Well, this place is really classy. About 100 times better than Dad's cheesy apartment."

"What would you expect? He was one rich son of a bitch. And speaking of Dad, how was he anyway?"

Reggie shrugged as she munched her cereals. "I have no idea," she said in a mouthful. "He haven't contact me for months already. The last thing I heard is that he's getting married to a woman I don't know a shit about."

In the middle of our conversation, the doorbell rang. Reggie motioned of getting it but I stopped her in midways. "I'll get it. This might the Reap List for today."

And I was right. There was already an envelope slid under the door when I went there. So okay, let's check the unlucky people that received an appointment with Death.

Well, there are seven scheduled deaths for today and…"What the Fuck!" I exclaimed and immediately darted outside in the futile hope that I'll catch the messenger. "Get back here!" I shouted. "DAMN IT!"

"Hey, what's going on?" Reggie emerged from the door, hurrying to my side.

"SCREW THIS!" I yelled in the air.

"George, what's wrong?" My little sister was starting to get worried. She took the list from my hold, curious to know what had caused my agitation as she read it. "Names, ETD…" and she goes on. "C. Turner, J. Patch, L. Montana, M. Faux…M. Faux? Hey George, is this…"

I didn't let her finish and yanked the list from her hold and walked pass her.

"That can't be your friend Mark, right?" Reggie said behind me.

How I wish that she was right. But I know better. It's him, no doubt about it. I saw the location of death. Mark is going to die tonight and around 7PM in a restaurant. The same restaurant where he'd invited me for dinner. "No, it's him. He's going to die tonight and I have to reap him," I told her painfully before I left my house without a word.

* * *

I never recovered and was still in a pretty bad shape when I arrive in the Waffle House, easily irritated and grumpy that it won't take a genius to notice that something is definitely wrong with me.

"I don't want to say what the fuck," Roxy said to me. "But what the fuck is wrong with you?"

I stared back at Roxy like a zombie, which is kind of half right since I'm an undead already. "I don't know," I simply said and hand over to her the post-its note for her reap.

Roxy answered with a glare and then Daisy said, "Georgia, if you have a problem you can tell us. We might be able to help."

Yeah right, they can help. That's too unlikely. Well, I mean how the hell they're going to do that if my unsolved problem is the same as the problem that they can't also solve themselves. This fucked up Reaper life. "No, thanks. I'm good." I handed the remaining post-its notes for Daisy and Mason and then left without saying anything again.

The bad feeling never faded nor lessened even until I arrive at the Happy Time. Delores had kept me company from time to time using her motherly like perception to sense that something awful is circling around me. She'd made an effort to cheer me up a little which unfortunately in the end didn't help much at all.

My works are dumped in the corner, I'm unmoved from my seat as I stare on my phone deciding whether to call Mark or not. Of course I have to do it, I cannot disrupt the natural order which will be bad in general or let him be which will be bad for him. I know that it is necessary and I'd told myself within 5 years already that what are supposed to be must be fulfilled, since at the end of the day, nothing will change and whatever I will try to do are not just futile against fate but also disastrous.

So surrendering everything to the screwed up fate, I dialed Mark's number. "Hello," where he answered after the fifth ring.

"Hey Mark," I replied slowly. "It's me, Millie."

"Hey Millie. What is it?"

"Uhmmm…about the dinner, you told me to call you if ever I changed my mind, right?"

"Uh yeah, sort of."

"Well, is the invitation still up?"

"Of course," he said merrily. "So…are we in tonight?"

I looked at the Reap list at my table, tracing my finger on the columns under his name. M. Faux…loves to wear black, can't drive, and never had a girlfriend. Some brief descriptions about the people that are supposed to die. No one knew about these facts aside from the Head Reapers of each group. From the time of Rube up to mine, these information about the reaps are kept and was never told to the Grim Reapers or even get included on the post-its for the reasons that, first, it is somehow found to be useless, and second, it lead to sympathy, something which is supposed to be excluded on a Reaper's dictionary.

That's why it is hard being a Head Reaper and now I understand Rube on why he tried so much to become unemotional in most occasions. He wouldn't have last long being a Head Reaper if he'd let his emotions dictate him on making his decisions. And now, I must also do the same thing.

I'm sorry Mark, I like you but it's nothing personal. "Uhmmm…sure." I looked at the post-its that I wrote for myself. "What time?"

_Seven._ I thought. "Would 7 be fine?" he said.

"Seven is cool."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

I ended the call feeling heavy in my chest. He's supposed to be of no difference from the other people that I found a hard time reaping before. I was able to get through with them in due time. But with him, it's kind of feels a lot harder and a lot more uncomfortable and I don't know the reason why. Damnit! I wish Rube was still here. He will surely tell me what to do and how to deal with this. Not like this shit where I'm supposed to deal with everyone and figure out everything by myself.

Afterlife really sucks.

**END OF CHAPTER 3**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"You'll still do it?" Reggie asked as I fixed myself in front of the mirror.

"I have to," I peeked on her through her reflection on the mirror with such hopeless and weary eyes that I'm currently masking with make-up. "It's not something that I can stop just because I feel like not doing so."

"But you could have given that Reap to someone else on your team? You're the Head Reaper now. If I remember it right you can do that. So why did you still choose to Reap him yourself when it could have been better if he'll be reaped by someone else that he doesn't know."

"Because I'm stupid and I didn't thought about that when I'd had the chance. So now, I have to deal with it." I sighed and then placed the final touches on my face. Once I'm done, I stood up and faced Reggie, "How do I look?"

Reggie was leaning her side on the door and with her hands crossed on her chest, she replied, "Pathetic."

I frowned and glared at her, mimicking her expression. "Yeah, whatever."

"I'll wait for you until you come back," she told as I walked pass her. I then ceased my advances. "I'll just be here when you need me."

Tears welled up at the back of my eyes and I soon found myself getting breathless from the sobs that I was suppressing. "Thanks."

"No problem."

* * *

The restaurant was kind of deserted when I arrived, aside from Mark, my reap, who was waiting at the table near the window, there are only 2 other tables that are occupied and only one of the two is taken by a couple.

Mark stood when he caught a sight of me approaching him. "Hi," he greeted when I reached our table. Taking a step closer to me, he placed his huge hand that just match up with his 6'3 stature and placed a light kiss on my cheek. "Glad you could make it," he whispered through my ear before pulling away.

And I wish that there was a force in the universe that could have stopped it. "Not a bother at all," I forced myself to answer with a smile.

"Have a seat."

"Thanks." I looked at my clock immediately as I settled down. There is still at least an hour before his estimated time of death, and as how I observe my situation, looks like I'm going to spend that time having dinner with him.

And so I did. We took our orders, we ate and we chatted. And as always I enjoyed his company that for a second or two, I nearly forgot that I was here to reap him. I forgot that that was my real intention and the date was just a cover up. I kind of like that it was the other way around. I lost track in time and didn't notice that his schedule is almost up.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Mark took my hand and squeezed it gently.

Holy shit! When the fuck did I placed my hand there? "N-no, I'm fine." I tried to pull my hand away but then I thought, what's the use? His time on earth is over and it's my responsibility to secure his soul before then.

His gaze meets mine and his eyes feel somehow nostalgic, it feels similar to the little girl that I first reaped. They're beautiful but very uncomfortable, and I wish that I could ask him to close his eyes but it looks like that I'll be the one to do that part.

So closing my eyes, I swiped my palm into his hand and tell myself that it's all over.

But then something unexpected happen…it didn't work. I opened my eyes and stared at our joined hands for moment and then tried to reap his soul again. But like before it didn't work. What the hell?

I can't reap his soul.

"Having a hard time?" I heard him asked.

"What!?" I meet his gaze again and there was a teasing glint on his eyes.

He squeezed my hand again and that wavy light that always emits from a Reaper's hand whenever we reap a soul shine on our joined hands.

My eyes widened as I stared on it in both amazement, shock, and most of all fear. Fear of not knowing what the fuck is going on and what kind of shit did I get into. I immediately pulled my hand away from his hold and by then the light disappeared in an instance. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm Mortuus Faux."

"That's not an answer," I glared at him.

"Can I have it?" he extended his hand to me.

"Huh?"

"The post-its note," he clarified. "Can I have it?"

Now I'm more confused and anxious to know what the hell is going on and who the hell is he. I know for a fact now that he's not human, but what I want to know is what is he? Is he also an undead Grim Reaper like me? That's a huge possibility since he knows about the post-its.

I slowly took the post-its from my pocket and handed it over to him while still locking my glare on him. "Sorry about this," he said as he pulled out a lighter and lit the post-its note. "Men have tendencies to do stupid things when they're desperate."

He smiled again to me and for some weird reason I found myself calming down. "Again, who the hell are you?"

"I told you already, my name is Mortuus Faux."

"Oh come on!" I exclaimed. "That's not the answer that I need. Tell me, what are you?"

"Review your Latin and French, Millie," he said. "Or should I call you on your real name, George?"

My lips parted, "How did you know that?"

"I know everything."

I glared again at him one last time and then did what he asked. _Mortuus _is a Latin word. I once read a Latin dictionary during high school and I'm sure that encountered that word. Its English translation is somewhere around the letter D. _Deaf?_ No. _Dealt? _Not this one too. It took a few second and then realization hits me. My eyes widened and just stared at him. Mortuus is the Latin word for DEATH. And I'm sure that Faux means _Scythe_.

"Deathscythe," I mumbled. "Death!? What does that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I'm Death."

"You're a Grim Reaper, like me?"

"No, it means I'm Death," he corrected. "As in Death, Death."

It took me some times to absorb everything but still then I can't believe it. Was he serious? He's Death, as in the Death from the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse.

"And I have 3 amigos."

Fuck! He's dead serious! Literally! "So…if you're Death, then, you're my Boss?"

"Sort of," he said. "I don't really manage the business that directly. I let the Upper Management do the most parts of the jobs."

"If that's so, then why are you here?"

"There are matters here that are in need of my personal attention."

"And what are those?"

"Something that I'll discuss with you later, but for the meantime, please don't bother yourself about it, you're off-duty right now."

Wow. First time hearing that, I thought I never had one. "How about the matters with me?"

"Well, I need your attention."

"Is that why you lure me here using that fake schedule, Mr. Death?"

"Like I said, men tend to do stupid things when they're desperate. And also, please call me Mark. My real name is complicated."

I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to absorb all of these? How hard it is to believe?"

"Well, this is nothing major considering the fact that you can already see Gravelings when you were still alive means that you're not that new to the weird world even before you've become a Grim Reaper."

Now that I thought about it, he certainly has a point. "I guess so. It's just that I didn't expect that Death has an embodiment, a sexy embodiment to be exact."

He laughed. Something that I never thought Death is capable and I would see myself. "If accidents and misfortunes had figures in the form of Gravelings then why can't I? After all, I'm the very reason why Gravelings and Reapers exist. And…well, you can also blame it to the frog that broke my jar."

I chuckled. "You know what? You're a funny guy for someone who is dreaded by 6 billion people."

"Nice! Glad that you think so." And then he said after a few moments of silence. "So…what now?"

I shrugged slightly, "Well, since we're already here. I really want to know a few things from you. If that's okay?"

"Sure, it's fine with me. And you know what I'm kind of surprise that accepted all of this so smoothly. I kind of didn't expect it."

"Well, ever since I died and got dragged down on this life I believe nothing can surprise that much."

"I see…so what do you wanna know?"

I asked the first thing that registered on my head. "How do you decide who's going to die?"

"I don't," he honestly said. "The part of when a person's life will end is not part of my jurisdiction. They die because their time is up not because I wanted to, but I won't deny that it is my existence is the reason why each life must end in due time."

"If that so, who decide how long each person must live?"

"God, nature, the universe, honestly, I really don't have any hitch. I just know when a person must die and then I make the preparations for him, like how they'll die depending on their life's current situation."

"Then why did you choose to kill me with a toilet seat?" I asked, glaring at him.

"Any better idea?" he rebounded the question back at me with a chuckle. "You're too slack, you're a loner. There's not much spice in your life. You don't have a bitter enemy that can murder you and you're too smart to be killed by a car accident, a serial killer, or food poisoning. So I choose something which is a little more unique."

"And the toilet seat was the best thing that you can come up?"

"You got the headlines the day after. Not many deaths get that, not even those who pay for the obituaries."

Our conversation continued throughout the night and we discussed through a lot of thing until I run out of questions that it soon dissolves into smaller conversation about simple things that we know and like, which aren't that boring at all.

"Shall we call it a night?" Mark, I mean Death, I mean Mark…whatever, asked when he saw me yawn. "You look tired already."

"Yeah, I guess." He touched me hand again and an odd vibration flows through my skin and the next thing I know was we were already inside my house, sitting in the kitchen while watching the back of my sister as she dug through the fridge. "Whoa!"

"Whoa!" Reggie exclaimed too when she saw us, almost dropping the glass of water from her hand. "The hell!?"

My jaws dropped. Yeah, what the hell!? "What the fuck?" I asked Mark.

He grinned and replied in a very casual manner. "A little saving from driving troubles."

Reggie made glances of questioning look back and forth on me and Mark. "Who is this?"

"A friend," that was the only answer that I could give my sister at the moment. I'll just tell her everything when we have time.

Mark stood up and introduced himself to Reggie in gentlemanlike manner. "I'm Mark Faux. A friend of your sister."

Reggie's eyes widened and took a half step back away from Mark before glancing at me with a puzzled expression. "Ah George? Isn't he supposed to be…"

"No, not going to happen," I interceded before she could breath the word dead. In reply, she gave me a more curious stare. "I'll explain later. Anyway Reggie, can you go to your room? I need to talk to him in private."

"Uh, sure," she sipped some water from the glass that she almost broke earlier and then left Mark and I alone.

"What is it?" Mark wondered.

I trembled, no idea where to start and how to start. But here he is right now, the CEO of the Reaper Management and only to him I can ask or even say this matter. "I believe you already knew this but I still want to say it. About Reggie, I told her everything. About me, about my job, everything, and I know that it's against the rule but I still did it."

"Yeah, you did. So what?"

"Please," I pleaded in an almost whispering tone. "Let her stay. Let her stay with me. I know I'm no longer part of her world and the same is true with her towards me. But I still need a family and she's all I got."

"That's not something big to worry about," to my surprise that was the answer that he replied. "I don't really forbid my Reapers to return to their families. I never made such rule, ever."

"But Rube said…"

"Is also true. Even though there's no such rule that forbids you or any Reapers to go back to the lives that they once had it's your nature as a Grim Reaper that is taking you away from them in an almost natural way. I mean, if one or two of my Reapers return to their families, would they believe them, accept them? No. They'll just hurt themselves emotionally from being neglected by their own loved ones. You're just lucky that Reggie believed you and decided to stay with you. And if that's the case then there's nothing to worry about."

"Reggie can stay?" I said, grateful but still slightly doubtful.

He nodded, sincerely smiling at me, making me feel like melting. "She can stay."

Happiness filled my chest that it's almost like bursting that I soon found myself hurrying to him, throwing myself to his arms. "Thank you so much."

I felt his arms wrapped around my waist, squeezing me gently. "Don't mention it."

Everything went hazy afterwards, my mind and body got numb and my consciousness was turned half-aware. But I did feel his lips peppered through my face, from my forehead, cheek, the tip of my nose, and then against my lips.

I also know that I kissed back and yielded.

And it feels good, the kiss of death feels good.

**END OF CHAPTER 4**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I had always wondered what it feels like waking up in the arms of a man. But right now, I guess I shall wonder no more.

I was lying across Mark's chest with his arm wrapped around me. Slowly, I peeked through my eyelashes and then shut my eyes again when I realize that he was staring at me, waiting for me to wake up.

"Good morning," he whispered before kissing me. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmmhmm," I smiled against his lips, kissing him back. "Did you?"

"Uh-huh," he replied. "It's nice waking up with you."

I kissed him again. "Same is true with me. I can't remember the last time I slept so well." I pushed myself up into a sitting position above him and stretched my arms over my head. I sniffed. "Do I smell bacon?"

Mark grinned and nodded. "Reggie is cooking."

"What time is it?" I glanced to the clock near the lampshade and exclaimed, "Ah fuck!" I scrambled through the sheets that cover my body and jumped out of the bed in panic. "I'm gonna be late again."

Mark caught up from behind, wrapping his arms around my tummy, he calmed my down. "Hey, calm down," he whispered against my ear.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head upon his touch. Oh God, it feels so good. "Okay."

"Just have yourself ready, I'll go help Reggie with breakfast." Mark said, I nodded.

Mark dressed up and gave me quick kiss before going out of the bedroom to join Reggie. I took a shower and choose a nice outfit for the day. Reggie and Mark are having a nice conversation while preparing breakfast when I joined them. Well, it's actually more like Mark was doing all the cooking and talking while Reggie was just sitting, waiting, listening attentively.

"So you're George's big boss?" Reggie said.

"You told her?" I asked him.

"Saving you some explaining trouble," he smiled to me as he placed the plate of toasts on the table. "Breakfast is ready."

I picked a toast and took a small bite from it. "What have you told her?" I asked while chewing.

"All of the interesting parts," he said and then glances back and forth from me to Reggie. "Anyway, Reggie, you don't see you're sister's real face, don't you?"

Reggie shook his head. "No, I don't."

"Well, you want me to fix that?"

"You can do that?" I unbelievably asked.

"Of course," he told me and then faced Reggie again. "Do you want that?"

"Sure," my little sister replied.

"But of course it's not totally free of charge. I would ask a little help from you in exchange."

"What kind of help?" I clarified first before letting Reggie gets into any kind of deal especially with a deal with Death.

"Just a little assistance, it's nothing major or permanent. She can quit anytime."

I thought of it for a second. If that were the case, then I guess its fine. I would love to have my sister see me the way I am, as George Lass not as Mildred Hagen. "If it's cool with Reggie then I'm cool with it too, as long as it won't place my sister into an inescapable situation."

"You have my words, it won't," he said to me and then returned his attention back to Reggie. "So Reggie, what do you think?"

"Bring it on," she just shrugged, unfazed. Mark snapped his fingers. Reggie flinched a little as if she was shock by a little dose of electricity. She blinked her eyes at me and then they widened, in trance. "George?"

I don't know if that was it, I gaze at Mark for confirmation. He nodded in reply.

My sister jumped towards me, holding me in her arms so tightly like it was the first time she'd seen me. "George! It's really you!" Reggie sobbed against my shoulder. "I can finally see you."

I hugged my sister while I choke from my own tears, like we'd seen each other for so long. "Reggie," I whispered. "Thank you," I said to Mark.

"So," Reggie said as she pulled away, wiping her tears. "What shall I do in return?" she asked Mark.

"I want you to become a Substitute Reaper."

"A what?" I exclaimed. "You said you just want a little assistance."

"I am. Like I said it's not full time."

"But you're turning her into a Reaper." A life of a Reaper is full of shits and opportunities that must be let go. And I don't want Reggie to have that kind of life.

"A Substitute Reaper, George," he corrected.

"What difference would that make?" I was starting to get hysterical.

"Well, first of all she's not dead and she can file for retirement anytime."

Okay, that was a relief. But still…"Mark, she's human and mortal. Don't you think it's kind of dangerous for her to do a Reaper's job?"

"Don't worry. Reggie has all the powers of a Reaper but still has the privileges that a human can ever have. She's not completely immortal but…let's just say that nothing can kill her except the old age of 90."

"But…" I trailed off when I felt Reggie grabbing my shoulder.

"Its okay, George. I can do this. And it doesn't sound that bad, I think I can handle it.

I definitely doubt it. But however, who am I to know. And who am I to know what's best for Reggie. I guess I should just trust someone who is more knowledgeable in all these things. "Are you sure?" She nodded and I just sighed in surrender. "Fine…But I'll watch after you." I glared at Mark. "And you, we're not done yet."

"You'll forgive me eventually," he smirked.

"I highly doubt that," I confidently said.

"Anyway," he pulled out the envelope containing the Reap list for the day. "Orient Reggie on her first assignment." I angrily snatched the envelope from his hand where he just smiled as if it amused him.

"Let's go Reggie."

But as we are just about to leave, a strong arm hooked on my waist and pulled me back. Mark spun me and crushed his lips against mine. I made some futile and unmotivated resistance while hearing my sister giggled from the background. "Told you you'll forgive me."

I gasped against lips, trying to regain my lost breath. Fuck! That was extreme. "Let's talk later."

* * *

"He's definitely into you," Reggie commented as we drove our way to the Waffle House.

"How can you say that? We barely knew each other."

"You slept with him," she reasoned out which is more than true.

"That doesn't mean that there is something."

"But it sure means something," Reggie still insisted.

"Fine, maybe that might be the case. But still, everything seems to be going a little too fast. Not to mention that he's Death. I don't know if you realize it but that's huge."

"Well, what's that supposed to do of you liking him? If he's Death then he's Death. Period. Would that get into the way?"

Now that I thought about it. The answer is, not really. In fact, he might be the only relationship that I can get into without any hindrance. "I guess you're right. I guess the real problem is not if the relationship is okay but if I'm okay with the relationship. I mean, I've been living the last 23 years of my life without even having a boyfriend and I don't even have a single fucking shit on how to start now."

"Everything starts by trying," she said. "Give it a try."

We didn't talk much on the rest of our ride, or to be precise we didn't talk at all. I never reply nor promise anything on her advice on giving this opportunity of mine some try.

The gang was already gathered up at the Waffle House when we arrived. And as usual, they are either trying to get into or away from each other's nerves and I can see that Roxy is only a few heartbeats away from blasting Mason's balls again to oblivion.

"Hold it a little, Roxy," Kiffany cut her out before she could pull the trigger under the table. "No firing of any firearms here, it's scaring the customers."

Roxy jaws clenched and glared on Mason who just grinned annoyingly in return. "Thanks Kiffany." But Kiffany was not on Mason's side either. Instead of pouring the hot coffee on Mason cup, she poured it directly on his pants making Mason screamed. "Ahhhhhh!"

"That's for the fuss-making."

"Okay," Mason whimpered.

Daisy bit back a laugh while Roxy just shamelessly sneered.

I shook my head. They're really are hopeless. How long had been they're been together and yet these silly things never cease in existing in every moment of their afterlives. "Morning," I greeted. I'd had their attentions temporarily until they were diverted towards my sister. Reggie just waved a shy hi to them. "Daisy, can you move to Mason?" I half-asked half-ordered. "Reggie, you can sit beside Roxy."

Daisy said a soft, "Okay." And both girls did what I asked. I really don't like the idea of having my little sister anywhere near Mason. Not that I don't trust Mason. It's probably just a sister's complex of mine that wants to get my sister away from any inconvenience. And I believe that Mason is one of that.

Roxy immediately made a face full of questions the moment that Reggie seated beside her. "What's this?" she asked, pointing Reggie.

"It's my sister, Reggie."

"I know who she is, you smartass. What I'm asking is what is she doing here?"

"Well from today on, she'll be working with us."

The expression of Roxy deepened. If at earlier, her face just portrays 100 questions. Now, it blasted sky high to 1000 or even more. "As a Reaper?"

I nodded in agreement. "As a Substitute Reaper," and corrected her a little.

"She's cute," Mason grinned lasciviously, making Reggie flinch and Roxy and I glare.

That was all the warning sign I needed. "Keep your hands to yourself, Mason," I growled threateningly on him.

"What the fuck is a Substitute Reaper?" Roxy continued.

"I think it's another term for a part-time Reaper?" Daisy hits the mark.

"There such a thing?" Roxy turned more baffled. I just nod. "Since when?"

"This morning when she was recruited."

"By whom?"

"By someone you wouldn't want to know," that was all I said and desired to say, I don't have much time anymore. Work now, questions later. "Anyway, I'll explain everything later. Right now, let's get into business first. Reggie," I demanded her attention. "This is Roxy, Daisy and Mason, guys this is my sister Reggie and she'll be working with us for a while."

"Hi Reggie," said Daisy, waving her newly polished fingers.

"Hi Cutie Pie." I glared again at Mason on the remark. I could have let that go if he wasn't just slobbering like a jackass.

"I'm Roxy," she offered her hand.

"Hi," Reggie politely shook her hand. "I'm Reggie. I guess I'm a Substitute Reaper."

After the introductions, I took the post-its notes from my bag and handed them their Reaps. "Okay, here are for you," I gave one for Mason. "For you," two for Daisy. "And for you," and lastly to Roxy.

"Reggie," I gave her three leaves of post-its. "This is for you."

"Hold it right there, little missy," Roxy intercepted. "Are you planning of giving her 3 reaps on her first day?"

"Well, I have no choice. Those post-its are given exclusively to her." I explained to her. Those schedules are marked to be given exclusively for Reggie. I don't know what Mark has in mind of giving my sister multiple numbers of souls on her first assignment.

Reggie looked confusedly on the piece of papers. "What am I going to do exactly?"

There's actually no need of much explanation for her. She'd already saw me reaping a soul before and since she'd been living with me, she also knows how the post-its work. And after meeting and gets recruited by Mark, she's more than knowledgeable enough about the scheduling of deaths. "Just reap their souls before their scheduled deaths and then guide them to their lights."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Just touch them, then imagine that you're pulling out their souls. Just that and you'll do fine, the rest will just follow."

Reggie nodded and somehow understood everything little by little. Reading the post-its, she made a little expression of surprise. "Hey, I know these people."

That took me off-guard too. "Really?"

"Yeah, and the location is on our school so I'm certain that it's them. L. Lewis, C. Miller, H. Hall," she enumerated. "These are Lindsay Lewis, Cedric Miller, and Helga Hall. They are members of the Science Club. Helga is my classmate in Math and yesterday she told me that they will be doing a science experiment at the lab this afternoon. I guess things will end up wrong later."

Shit! Connections. Something that makes the job complicated. Why do I or my sister always has to fall into that kind of bullshits. "Just do what you have to do Reg. Don't do anything that will go against the grain."

"Don't worry, I won't," she said, a little offended. "I know how things around here work and I'm completely aware of the consequences too. So don't sweat yourself, I won't do anything stupid."

"She's tough, Georgie," Mason commented. "She's taking this a lot better than you on your first day."

"Yeah, whatever." Well, I was dead back then while Reggie is still alive. And she wasn't drag down into this like what happened to me. She asked this herself in order to see me again. So I guess Reggie's unfazed composure is somehow expected. "Let's go, Reggie. You'll be late for school."

**END OF CHAPTER 5**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_I hope she's doing fine._ I thought as I intently stare at the wall clock, counting every ticks of a minute and every second that passes by. It's not too long from now until the time of Reggie's reap schedule and I'm so worried if she's doing well.

"Is something wrong, Millie?" Delores appeared at my side all of the sudden.

At normal basis, that could have startled me. But I was too occupied on my sister to even entertain such thing. "It's nothing Delores."

"Is it about someone?"

I nodded, still unmoved like a statue. "I'm worried sick about her. It's her first day on her job and I'm wondering if she's okay."

"Oh I'm sure your friend is doing fine." That didn't convince me and so is Delores. I then heard her sigh in defeat. "Why don't you take a break and check her out?"

"I have works to do."

"No Millie, you're not doing anything. You're too distracted that you're dumping your works on the corner," she gestured towards the pile of papers, folders and envelopes that were untouched since yesterday. "So why don't check your friend first and then come back here when you're okay and can do your job properly."

"Really? It's okay?"

"Don't be silly, Millie. Of course it's okay."

"Fine. I'll go check Reggie now. But I'm not taking the whole day off, I'll be back later once I make sure that she's okay." I gazed towards the pile of works that I'd been neglecting for the pass two days. "I'll finish those paperworks today even if it kills me."

"Oh don't sweat yourself out. Just do what you'll have to do and be back here nice and okay."

I really love this lady. She's the mother figure that my real Mom had somehow forgotten to be towards me on the last days of life.

It's only 15 minutes left before Reggie's schedule when I arrived at their school. Looking around as I kill time, I saw some Gravelings are starting to rush towards the school building, climbing and jumping through the walls towards a certain window at the second floor which I believe is the Science Lab.

Looks like Reggie's right. The science experiment might go wrong. I leaned my back to my car and waited. I'm sure something big is going to happen, the type that's big enough to kill three people at once which is what is about to happen.

"I didn't expect to see you here," Mark said, materializing beside me.

"Whoa!" I flinched a little. I was used to the weird and the unreal but I'm still not accustomed of people just popping out of nowhere. "Fuck Mark!" I exclaimed. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

The bastard just grinned at me, teasing me. "Well, you look cute when you're surprise." I glared in a sinister way on him. "…and angry."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm checking on Reggie. See how well she'll do on her first day of the job."

"Why do you concern yourself that much on my sister?"

"Because she's your sister, that's why. I actually won't give a damn about her if she wasn't."

Fuck! What is it with him!? Why is it that he always knows how to say the right words at the fucking right time in order to get off guard? I looked away then, trying to hide my flushing face from him.

"Anyway, how about you? What are you doing here?"

"Doing my responsibilities," I said. "I'm Reggie's big sister as well as her superior. So I'm checking on her if she's doing fine."

"Don't worry. I'm sure she's doing fine."

**BOOM!**

We heard an explosion all of a sudden and I was sure that it came from the room where the Gravelings were piling up earlier.

Hysteria immediately consumed me. That explosion was huge! What if Reggie was still there? What if she was caught with the explosion? No, no, no! "Reggie!" I cried out. But Mark caught me by the shoulder before I could rush towards the explosion. "Let me go!" I demanded.

"Look," he said, gesturing towards the entrance.

I gave myself a few second to clear my head out before obliging. And there I saw my little sister exiting the building with 3 souls following her lead.

"Over here guys," she told the souls as she led them through the narrow crowd of panicking students.

"Reggie, over here!" Mark called out to her.

Reggie saw us and made her way throughout the ruckus. I immediately hug her the moment that she was out of the crowd. "Are you okay?" I asked, checking her for any injury. "You're not hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine, George. I got out before these geniuses blow up the entire place."

"You sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah." She glanced towards her Reaps. "What now?"

"I'll handle it," Mark said and snapped his fingers, the gate to the other side opened in an instance. "C'mon kids," he told them. "Time to go."

"So Lass, you're a Grim Reaper," said one female soul.

"Yeah. Just got the job this morning."

"Cool," she said before crossing to the light.

"Helga?" I asked.

"Yeah," Reggie sighed. "We're not really that much of a friend but we get along sometimes."

"So how was it?"

"Simple, hard. I can't really explain. I feel bad about them and want to save them. But on the other hand I also know that there's nothing I can do anymore. Their time is up."

"I know the feeling," I said, placing my hands on her shoulders. "Good job on your first day."

"Thanks."

* * *

"Where is Reggie going?" Mark asked as he buckled up on his seatbelt.

"I don't know, she said she's going to find a new job."

"Isn't she's already working at a fastfood chain?"

Yeah, she was before I came along and screwed it up. "She resigned when she and Mom left for Canada. Now, she wants to have a new one while staying here."

"Aren't you earning enough for the two of you?"

"Well, my money can't buy my sister's pride." She was so not like me when I was still alive. Reggie's only 16 but already wants to independently face life. Unlike me who even at the age of 18 was still leeching from our parent's paycheck.

"I see. So where are you going now?"

"Happy Time. I still have a lot of works to finish."

"Are you free tonight?"

I don't know why he is still asking when he knows the answer. Of course I have a lot of free time after work. If I don't have a reap schedule, the rest of the day is mine for the taking. I shifted the gear and drove towards the street. "Yeah. Why did you ask?"

"Drink?" he offered.

"Where?" I asked.

"Hmmm…How about your place?"

I deliberated for a moment. But what the hell, I'd already welcomed him into my home and moreover into my bed, so what's the point of having second thoughts having him around again. "Bring a bottle of good tequila and we have a deal."

I turned to my side to face him but what welcomed me was an empty seat. Soon after that my phone received a text message. _**Looking for tequila right now. ^^**_

"Fuck you," I mumbled and shook my head. Yeah, fuck him. Fuck him for just pooping into my life. Fuck him for making me smile like this.

* * *

I sort of noticed that it was morning already when dim rays of lights started to shine through the window. I had been half-asleep for the rest of the night and most of it was spent just lying and feeling Mark's strong arms wrapped around me.

Yeah, we did it again. Two nights in a row. Call me a bitch but duh, I'm not a nun and he's definitely not a saint. We are two horny individuals with libidos fueled by tequila and lots of flirting. Of course it will end up with our clothes flying at the end of the night.

"Mark?" I silently called out to him, checking if he's already awake while staying unmoved from my position.

"Yeah?" he murmured.

"How does it feel?"

"The what?"

"Living for eternity, for thousands even millions of years? How does it feel?"

"Wearying," he simply said. "With no friend, companion. You're watching everything mobilize and progresses while you remains unmoved, stuck doing the same thing over and over again. Really wearying. Why did you ask?"

"Well, I'm immortal but I'd only been living as a Grim Reaper for 6 years. I haven't walked yet on the lifespan exceeding what a human being should just have so I still don't know the difference. I always wanted to ask either Rube or Daisy before but I never had the chance."

"It's not permanent anyway. You'll meet your quota someday and cross to Heaven."

"Yeah I guess so," I said dreamily, shifting my head in order to place his face within my field of vision. "Speaking of Heaven, have you seen the place?"

"Of course. Every time I get the chance, I always check the place. And way before when the population of the world was still below a million and I was still doing all the works alone, I always go to Heaven to accompany the souls that I fetched."

He'd seen Heaven? And been there too? I'd got to know this. "What does Heaven like?"

He closed his eyes and said in a wistful tone. "It's Heaven…beautiful, serene, everything that can make you happy and at peace are already there."

"Then why don't you stay there?"

He laughed, low and gentle. "Heaven is not for me. God didn't create me to belong to Heaven or even Hell, he create me to belong here to place order on things when life has ended."

"That sucks!"

"It does. There's no readily made Heaven or Hell for me. If I want one I have build one on my own, here on Earth where I belong."

Geez, I feel bad for him. In the past, I sometimes think that the people on the higher tier on our job have privileges that I can never had. But it was actually the opposite, my job as a Reaper will end sooner or later but for Mark, it is for eternity. Like he said, no Heaven no Hell, just an infinite existence doing the same thing over and over again. God, if that had happened to me, I might have gone crazy already. "If that's so then why don't you quit being Death?"

"And let 6 billion souls fall into chaos?" he shook his head. "I don't think so."

"But that's not fair, how about you?"

"I must find a way to be happy on my own effort. Just like any human being do."

The irony on that could have been funny if the mood is not just gloomy. He's far beyond being a human yet he strives like one. "Well, did you?"

"One way or another."

"Are you? Right now?"

"Yes," he sincerely said and kissed my forehead.

**END OF CHAPTER 6**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Papers, papers, and more papers, I was just filing them up for final checking when phone rang. It was Roxy. Oh boy, I have bad feelings about this. Roxy doesn't call me or anyone if it's not important and moreover, urgent. Something huge is going on.

"What is it?"

"Get over here with Reggie, right now. Hurry!"

"Why? What's going on?"

"I'll explain later. Just get your and your sister's asses over here, right now!"

The hostility on Roxy's voice was more than enough of a warning for me to know that something really serious is going on.

I called Reggie and she waited for me at school where we drove immediately to the Waffle House to meet the rest of the Reapers.

"Why are we hurrying up, George?" Reggie asked.

"I have no idea too," I honestly told her. "But Roxy called me earlier demanding both of us. I know that no-nonsense woman. She won't call me or any other Reapers if it's not something very important."

Roxy was impatiently waiting in front of the door when we arrived. Mason and Daisy are both inside discussing something with 2 more people. A stocky man and a curly haired woman who's both backs are facing me, giving me of no glimpse on their faces but somehow, both of them kind of look familiar.

"What's going on here Roxy?" I asked her.

Instead of answering, Roxy grabbed both Reggie and I and lead us towards Mason, Daisy, and the two other people that I think I really know if I can only see their faces. "I don't know either but you two got to see this," she said. "They're here," she told the four them that are quite busy talking.

It was curly haired woman who stood first and revealed her identity. My eyes widened and couldn't help myself but gape when I finally realized who she is. It had been 6 years since I'd last saw her but there is no way that I'll ever forget her face. "Betty?" I gasped.

"Nice to see you again George," Betty hurried towards me, giving me a tight hug.

I was frozen like a statue as she hugged and kissed me in the cheek, still in the state of total disbelief. And also, if this is Betty than the man beside him is…

"Hello Peanut. Glad to see you handling them so smoothly."

Fuck! You've got to be kidding me! "Rube?"

Betty pulled away and Rube took her place, wrapping one arm around me, pulling me tightly to his chest. My head went woozy both by from confusion of the fucking things that are going on and from the smell of tobacco from Rube. Slowly, I pulled myself from his hold and placed a distance between me and my sister from the rest of the original gang of Reapers.

"Okay," I said as soon as I recovered. "What the fuck is going!?"

"You tell us," Roxy said. "These two just knocked on my door this morning. At first I thought that I was hallucinating until I realized that I wasn't."

I looked at Rube and Betty that also both looked as clueless as the rest of us. "Rube? What happened? Why are you here?"

"I have no idea, Peanut. Last thing I remember was I was in Heaven having picnic with my wife and daughter and the next thing I know was waking up in my old apartment."

I then turned to Betty. "Same goes with me. I was having bungee jumping and then poof, I'm back here."

"That's why we called you," said Roxy. "You're the Head Reaper now. We're hoping that you might know something about this from the Upper Management."

"Nothing that Rube doesn't know already," I told them. "Can they do this?" I directly asked Rube.

"As far as I remember, no. Even the Upper Management can't pull something as big of a shit like this. Whoever goes into the light are beyond their controls anymore. So whoever did this, I doubted it's them."

"Any idea?" Daisy curiously asked.

Rube shook his head. "Not a clue. But whoever did this, it's someone with a badass mojo."

"Badass mojo?" Reggie mumbled. "George…"

"I know," I told her before she could start the sentence. I pulled my cellphone out and called him. "Mark! Get over here! Now!"

He appeared in front of the door in an instance and joined us. "Hey, what's up?"

"Explain this," I demanded.

"Rube Sofer and Betty Rhomer," he just shrugged it off. "What about them?"

My nose flared in great annoyance. "Don't give that shit, Mark. Why the fuck are they here?"

Mark crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. "Simple, I need their assistance."

Okay, this is getting way too confusing. "Assistance for what?"

"Peanut," Rube injected. "I don't want to ask who is he, but who the hell is he?"

I groaned. Yeah right, I forgot that aside from Reggie, the rest of the Reapers of the Seattle District don't know yet about Mark and about him being our Boss. "Sorry guys, I forgot to tell you all about him." I stepped aside and introduced Mark to them. "This Mortuus Faux, but that was just an alias, his real name is Death Scythe. As in Death, Death…he's our Boss, our Big Boss."

All of the Reapers inside the Waffle House except me and Reggie all gaped in utter disbelief on the revelation. "Are you kidding me?" Mason commented.

"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Roxy.

"Really?" Daisy and Betty said almost at the same time.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" I said.

Rube remained silent and just stared at Mark, sizing him up.

"Anyway," I finally cease the commotions. "Mark, why did you bring Rube and Betty back?"

"I told you, I need their assistance."

"For what? Exactly?"

"Something big, dangerous. Bad. The reason why I came here in the first place."

I did somehow remember him saying those words during our first date but told me to not worry about it for the time being. I guess that's over now. "Explain."

Mark snapped his fingers and the next thing we know was we were all transferred above a tall building in the middle of Seattle.

I wasn't that much surprise. He often appeared and disappeared in front of me these past days ever since we'd met. However, I can't say the same on my fellow Reapers.

"What the fuck?" Rube said. The others also make a similar reaction.

"Somewhere in this city," Mark started. "A huge catastrophe is about to happen. Possibly, about 30 people are going to die."

Thirty people dying? Okay, that's kind of sick. However, isn't that just something normal? People live and die one way or another. What's the huge fuss on him about that? "And that should concern you because…"

"It's not scheduled."

I don't exactly know if that's bad or something but surely didn't like the sound of that. "What's the big deal about that?"

"You've seen it before, George," he told me. "With Mason and Daisy," he gazed towards them. "You know what happen to people that are killed without a schedule."

OH FUCK! How did I let something that important slip! Maybe because I truly did try so hard to forget that asshole Ray. "Gravelings."

"Rogue Gravelings," he corrected. "Three days from now 30 people are going to die without a schedule, setting 30 rogue and vicious Gravelings loose." That sounds really bad already but I still have a hunch that that's only the tip of the iceberg. "And those 30 Gravelings will kill more people without schedules, same thing will happen to them, so on and so for. You see the picture now."

I shudder, that's not a catastrophe, that's a living hell. "But you're Death, can't you do something about?"

"I can, but one rogue Graveling is hard to sire, what more are 30. It will take a while and until that time the collateral damage will be devastating."

Fuck! The situation was actually more fucked up than I thought. "Well, isn't there something that we can do?"

"There's one."

"And that is?"

"Stopping it before it happened," Rube answered for Mark.

Mark nodded. "That's right. That's the only way."

"Then what are we waiting for? C'mon, let's do it."

"That's not that simple, Peanut," said Rube as he moved closer to us. "Reapers can only pinpoint people that are about to die if they have schedules. Those who don't are invisible to us. And I think that the same thing is true with our Boss."

Again, Mark nodded in agreement with Rube. "Yes, I can't see where the mass untimely deaths will happen since they're not scheduled. What I know is the when, and that's 72 hours from now."

I rubbed my forehead. Frustration is starting to consume me. "Fuck," I breathed.

"Okay," Roxy voiced out after a few minutes of keeping quiet. "If that's what's going to happen, then what's the game plan?"

"Glad that you ask," Mark said. "Actually 2, either one of them will be applied depending on how well we'll do on our search."

Everybody started to go all ears and listened to Mark attentively. What might happen three days from now might be the biggest challenge that we will encounter as Grim Reapers.

"First is to pinpoint where this untimely deaths will happen. If the disaster that will cause it is manageable, we will stop it without people dying. If it's not, we will reap their souls before they die to stop them from turning into Gravelings."

"How about the plan B?" I asked.

"The plan B is if we failed to find them before it happen. If things had come to worst and those 30 Gravelings are set loose, we have no choice but to stop them by force."

"How?"

"How else? By reaping them of course. However, the ability to reap Gravelings is not something which is common. Aside from me there are only 5 special Reapers that possess such ability. But luckily for us, two of them are assigned here in Seattle."

"And who are those?" Rube asked.

Mark glanced at me and smiled. "The Lass sisters, George and Reggie."

"Us!" Reggie and I exclaimed at the same time. "How can it be us?" I asked.

"Don't you remember it, George? You can see Gravelings even when you were still alive. Humans with such ability also possessed the power of send Gravelings to the other side. However, not all of those that have this ability end up being a Reaper. You're a rare case and so is Reggie."

He's right on the most part and yes I'd been seeing Gravelings even when I was still alive. When I was a kid, I saw two of the on the pool when I almost drown and another one on the house of the Halloween serial killer. And at both occasion, I barely escape Mark's cold embrace.

Now it all makes sense, I could have died back then but the Gravelings had kept on postponing my schedule because they feared my ability, not just to see them so clearly but also to reap them.

"But how about Reggie?" I asked. "Yes, I can see Gravelings even before I died but how about my sister?"

"She shares the same DNA as you. Even though it's not as strong as yours, she still has a portion of your ability."

I never ever admitted to myself that my sister and I are alike. We are so different as far as I remembered. But after what I'd just heard and discovered, maybe Reggie and I are more of the same after all.

**END OF CHAPTER 7**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Any luck on your team yet?" I asked Rube and Betty. After our meeting the other day, Mark had grouped us into 3 teams with each team having one member that can reap Gravelings. Mark took Rube and Betty to his team. I was paired with Mason, while Reggie teamed up with Roxy and Daisy.

Rube took a sip on his coffee and shook his head. "No. No luck at all. The Boss did everything that he can to find even just a piece of clue. But it's really hard to find something which doesn't exist yet. It's like finding a straw in a pile of straw. How about you?"

"Not I thing too," I told them. "We looked through hotels, restaurants, and even bars for possible meetings or gathering that might be held 2 days from now but they don't have any."

"How about your sister's team?"

"No luck too," Reggie said out of nowhere. Turning to her, I gaped when I found her standing beside us with a percolator full of coffee at hand and wearing the Waffle House's waitress uniform. "Coffee?" she offered with a grin.

"What are you doing here?"

Reggie stared at me what that 'duh' look, "I'm working here."

"Since when?"

"Yesterday, Kiffany offered me the job."

Wow! They said that God gave all his creation a freewill but why is it that no matter what we do the universe always find a way to gather us up in a single place called Waffle House. "Okay," I said. "So no luck too."

Reggie shook her head. "Nope," he said and poured coffee on Rube's half-empty cup. "And what's worst from being empty-handed is endure the mouths of Roxy and Daisy. I was having a headache the entire time."

"Wow, so we are at square one and ground zero. Nice." I moaned, and then returned my attention back to Rube and Betty. "How about you two?"

"What about us?" Rube asked.

"What did Mark said about pulling the two of you down here?"

"Well, the Boss said that we will return to Heaven after three days whether we succeed or not. It's just that we will go back there with half of Seattle on our backs if we screw this up."

"That sounds tough. Getting pulled down from Heaven to do mission impossible and return with your failures tailing you." I shuddered, that will surely feel awful.

"Anyway," Betty inserted. "George, you keep calling the Boss on his first name. What's your relationship with him?"

"Mark is George's boyfriend," Reggie giggled.

"Reggie!" I cried, my face getting tomato red from sheer embarrassment.

"What?" my little sister batted her eyes with a wide, innocent expression. "Like I don't hear your bed squeaking every time he spends a night on our house."

"Shut up!" I shouted now, not caring that all of the costumers inside the Waffle House are gazing to me now.

"Geez, why are you getting angry on something which is obvious," she said before leaving.

Gritting my teeth, I glared at her as she walks away. "I'm gonna kill that bitch."

"I always thought that you're kind of crazy, peanut. But I didn't expect that you're this bad already."

"Shut up Rube."

"So you're really dating him?" Betty asked again.

"For the last time, shut the fuck up!"

"Okay," Betty raised her palms in surrender…or maybe, that's what I just thought. "She's dating him," he whispered to Rube.

Rube chuckled, I groaned.

* * *

I tried to find clues by asking again on some establishments that might host any meeting, seminars, or any kind of celebration that might consist of 30 people or more. But all of those that I called gave the same answer. They don't have any reservation of such variety and most of all not something that will occur in anytime tomorrow.

Mason is looking though the city for any events of such form and I told him to call in case of any luck. It had been four hours since we depart ways and not a single call was given. So it appears that we are in the same situation.

No call from the groups of Mark and Reggie too and we're literally running out of time. It's only 24 hours or less now before the Graveling rampage will occur and we still don't have a single clue where it will happen.

Without noticing it, four hours had passed already and we are still as blind as ever. Still no calls from Mason or the other groups and I'm still in the phone calling all the places that I can think about that might give just a little hunch on this.

It's midnight already and Reggie is not home yet. Roxy called me earlier and said that Reggie had parted from them and says that she's going to check on something that might help.

I certainly hope so. I don't want to let thousands of people die without a schedule, that's just cruel. Dying is something awful that could happen to anyone. But dying ahead of the designated time is a lot worst.

It was already 5:30 in the morning when my cellphone ring. It was Reggie. "Hey Reg, where are you? You've been out all night."

"Don't fuss about that right now," she said, a little breathless. "I think I have a clue about our problem here."

"Really? What?"

"I have no time to explain. Just call Mark and the other Reapers, tell them to meet me at school as soon as possible." And the line died.

I did what she asked and Mark zapped immediately into my house. "Is it true? Reggie found something?"

I nodded. "Yeah, she told me gather all the Reapers on her school as much as possible."

"That's not going to be a problem I can transport them immediately on that place. Just inform them first, I don't want to bring any of them there while they're taking a shower."

"No problem, I already informed them to go there. They're probably on their ways now."

"Then let's go," he took my hand and that weird electrifying feeling took over again.

We materialize behind Reggie inside their school's parking lot. And it weren't just us, Rube and the others were transmitted there too. "Reggie," I called to her. Reggie turn around as I approached her for a hug, "Where have you been?" I asked when I pulled away. "I've been worried for you the entire night."

"I'm okay, George. I just remembered something last night so I gave it a try. That's how I ended up here."

"What's that?"

"I remembered that there was a gas leak not far away from here. It's where the buses from our school are usually passing everyday, so I thought that that might be what we're looking for. But then when I checked it out, it was already fixed. I thought that that's it and I'm back to zero again. But when I thought about the buses, I suddenly remember that they are under maintenance today. One of them almost had an accident the other day due to break problems. So I went here and waited for Mr. Hanson, the mechanic who was supposed to fix them."

"So what? He didn't arrive?"

"No, he arrived, drunk. And he fiddled the buses under the influence of alcohol. That's when I decided to gather you all here. I believe that this must be it."

"There's only one way to find out," I said. "Mark. Is there anyone scheduled to die here today."

He shook his head. "No, none of them are. And I can also sense a distortion on the natural order here. This must be our place. Good job, Reggie."

"Thanks," she said. "However, we have a problem. There are 12 buses here and only 5 of them will depart this morning and I don't know which one of them has the problem. We could check each of them to find out but there's only less than 40 minutes left before they go."

"If that's the case then we have no choice but to go on the other option," said Mark.

"What's that?" I asked.

"We need to ride with them and fixed it from the inside. I can handle one bus. The rest of you can pair with someone and take the others. You can try to stop the accident or reap their souls if it's unmanageable. Either way, we have to stop this disruption before it happen. The lives of thousands of people rest onto this."

* * *

We have 5 buses that we need to look after. All are going into different destinations, one is going into a practice game, and four are going into field trips and camping. I paired with Reggie and we took the one that's going into a field trip at Port Angeles.

We seated at the backmost part of the bus to avoid much notice and obtain more space to observe. Excluding Reggie and I, there are almost 30 people inside the bus including the driver and the class advisor.

I suddenly felt Reggie's head fell into my shoulder. She just fell asleep. I adjusted her head better on my shoulder, giving her a more comfortable position. She needed some rest. My poor little sister, it's barely a week when she accepted the job and she's already in this much stress.

An hour had gone by and we just passed the boundary of Seattle. The surroundings had also started turning from concrete to wooden, from gray and white to brown and green.

I looked into my watch, half an hour had passed by again but still nothing odd is happening. _Maybe it's not this bus._ I thought.

Suddenly, our speed started to get unsteady. "Fuck!" I cursed under my breath. Looks like I spoke too soon. "Reggie," I whispered, shaking her little. "Wake up."

"Hmmm," she moaned, slowly opening her eyes. "What is it?"

"Looks like we got the right bus."

"What's going on?" The class advisor exclaimed. And the students started to panic.

"There's no brake!" The driver shouted as he repetitively stepped on the brake.

"What shall we do, George?" Reggie whispered.

My thought also started to tangle as the shaking of the bus grows fiercer. "Reap them."

"All of them? George we don't have time."

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! What shall I do? If only Mark is here, he'll surely know what to do…Yes! That's it, I must get Mark.

The shaking grows continuously with such violence as well as the speed of the bus. I pulled my cellphone out and tried to call Mark but the all the shaking and the shouting of the students make it hard.

Finally, I got my cellphone out but the bus suddenly jumped after hitting hump on the road and my cellphone fell on the floor. "Fuck!" I tried to pick it up but it slides further from due to all of the shaking. I crawled down and followed it, enduring all the bumping and the stepping on my hand. At last, I reclaim possession of it after some beatings and called Mark. "Mark, we got the right bus! We need help!"

I pushed myself to stand and unsteadily returned to Reggie and at the same time Mark flashed in. "Are you okay?" he asked me when he noticed that I was kind of covered in bruises.

"I'm fine," I said. "Fix this."

"Don't worry. I'll just go reap them."

"No!" Reggie stopped him before he could snap his fingers. "Don't let them die, do something! Save them!"

"But we don't have time. This bus is about to fell into a cliff ahead. If we don't reap them, they'll turn into rogue Gravelings."

"No!" Reggie insisted. "There's got to be a way."

"Reggie's right, Mark," I said. "We can't let them die."

"Fine!" Mark groaned. "Hold on to me!"

We both complied and held tight on each of Mark's arms. "What are you going to do?" I asked.

"Just hold tight and trust me!"

The bus was filled with louder screams and the bus drive tried so hard to maneuver the vehicle to safety but to no avail.

As we go nearer into the cliff, I held tighter into Mark. When I die, I never experience anything like panic or the feeling of impending doom. But right now, it's like that I'm experiencing what I had missed during my death and it's really terrifying. However, it feels weird. I'm not scared. Not because I know that I won't die or anything. But because there is someone who holds me and telling me that everything's gonna be okay. "Hold tighter, girls! It's gonna be bumpy," he grinned and the bus fell on the cliff.

Everything went blank for a portion of few seconds or a minute and all that I could remember was two sounds. The old snapping sound of Mark's finger and an explosion.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself standing at the roadside beside Mark who is gazing on the burning bus below us.

"What happened to them?" I immediately asked.

Mark's gaze shifted to the left side of the burning bus. There, there are 30 bodies lying onto the ground which I can't tell whether they're still breathing or not. "I zapped them out before the bus hit the ground and exploded."

I sighed in huge relief. That's really good to hear. But then, my celebration was interrupted when I realized that Reggie was not with us. "Where's Reggie?" I asked, panicked a little.

"I teleported her back home, she's really tired. She needs a lot of rest."

I breathed deeply again, in complete relief this time. Everything is okay now, and most of them are thanks to Reggie. If it weren't for her and her determination to save people, nothing of these could have been possible.

And even though I'd never admitted this before and I'd spend the rest of my human life ignoring her, Reggie is the best sister that anyone could ever had. And I'm very lucky to have her.

**END OF CHAPTER 8**


	9. EPILOGUE

**EPILOGUE**

"Do you really have to go?" I asked Rube.

Just like what he and Betty had agreed with Mark, they will both return to Heaven 3 days after they've been pulled down. "I have to," he said. "My time here had been long over and my family is probably been waiting sick for me to return."

I turned to Betty. "How about you?"

"I'm returning too. Though I shouldn't because I never completed my quota, the Boss told me that it's okay now. He said that someone had volunteered to complete my quota for me."

I sighed in defeat. I know that they won't stay for long but I still hoped that they'll stay a little longer. They might have been around for 3 days but most of those times were spent working under a tight deadline and we'd never had the chance to have some bonding moments together just like the old times. But still, I am happy for them that they finally had the place and peace that they deserved after serving as the minions of Death for almost a century. "So it's goodbye then."

Betty sadly nodded. Rube hid his sadness under his unemotional demeanor. "Don't be sad, George. We will surely see each other again. Once you meet your quota, I'll certainly welcome you in Heaven."

Heaven? My Light. I almost forgot about that. I almost forgot that I'm not going to be staying in the living world forever. And that little by little I'm earning my fare to fly myself to Heaven. "Thanks Betty," I embraced her. And then to Rube, "I will miss you."

"I'm proud of you, Peanut. You've done pretty well." Rube said softly against my ear.

"Thanks," I said when I pulled away. "Though I can never be as good of a Head Reaper as you."

"No, Peanut. You've been way better."

"Thanks Rube."

He nodded. "Stay well."

"I will," I said as tears escaped from my eyes. "Hey, the others are not yet here. Why don't we wait for them first to say goodbye."

Rube shook his head. "I'll pass. I'm not really much into the many fusses before leaving."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Just tell them to stay well and stay out of trouble especially Mason and Daisy."

"I will," I said and then gazed to Betty. "Betty?"

"I'll pass too. Rube and I quite think alike in this matter. That's why we didn't say goodbye on the first time that we left."

In the middle of our conversation, Mark materializes beside me. "You guys ready?"

The two of them nodded and Mark snapped his fingers. A blinding opened behind Rube and Betty. "See you later, Peanut."

"See you later."

And then he turned to Mark. "Take care of her Boss."

Mark smiled. "Of course."

They waved goodbye to us for the last before finally walking into the light, returning to Heaven where they truly belong. "I'm gonna miss them."

"If I only knew that it will make you sad, I shouldn't have brought them back."

"No, its fine," I said, wiping my tears by the back of my hand. "At least I got the chance to see them again."

"Are you okay?" he asked, placing his hand on my shoulder.

I half-forced myself to nod. "Yeah…I'm cool," I said in a voice that betrays my words.

"Why don't you take the entire day off?" he suggested. "Reggie could use a company of a sister."

"How is she doing?"

"Enjoying her rest but is bored being alone."

I finally cracked a wholehearted smile. "You're right, maybe I should join her."

* * *

**One Week Later…**

I don't know if it's just me or is Mark is really avoiding me. It had been a week ever since we'd stopped that huge catastrophe that could have erased half of Seattle from the face of the planet. And since that day, I noticed that Mark had been gradually increasing the gap between us.

Before, he will always find a way or an excuse to be with me or he will invite me for a drink or dinner. But within these past few days, he rarely calls nor shows himself up except if he's delivering the Reap list.

"What the hell is going on?" I furiously asked him when he tried to leave again without even saying a word.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're avoiding me again."

"I'm not avoiding you."

"Yeah right. I'm not stupid Mark. I know it when people are trying their best to stay away from. I can tell because I've been doing that ever since I grow my teeth."

"It's not avoiding, George. It's precaution. Just deal with it. It's the best for both of us."

"And who are you to say what's best for us."

"Because I'm your Boss and you're my Reaper," his expression was hell born and it honestly scared me. On that single moment, I saw Mark not as the man that made love to me at night but Death that every living creature feared.

"What does that supposed to mean?" I went cold with dread.

His gaze froze me to the core. "I want you to stay away from me. I want you to pretend that you never knew me. I want you to do your job as a Reaper, reach your quota, and step into your light."

The mere thought of what he was asking had set my temper into total eruption. "You're kidding right?" I said, smirking. "Did the Gravelings gnaw your brain that you missed to see the irony on that? Mark, I'm dead because of you. I become a Reaper because of you. And now, after who knows how long, I started to feel alive once more solely because of you. And then you'll ask me to forget you, to pretend that I never knew you. Tell me? How am I supposed to do that!?"

But there was no backing down on his determined expression. "Don't you understand?" he said in a harsh voice. "The longer I stay with you, the more I am attached to you. The more I can't let you go."

"Oh so that's it. You hate attachments, so you're pushing me away."

"Bullshit! I've been alone since the dawn of time. I've been looking after this world single-handedly and I'm sick of it."

"Then why are abandoning me? If you don't want to be alone then why are you pushing me away?"

"Because you deserve better, you have a Light and Heaven ahead of you. If you stay longer with me, it'll be harder for me to let go of you. And sooner I'll do something really really stupid just to keep you."

"And you don't want to do that?"

"Of course," he gave me a sincere look as calmed a degree. "It's cruel and it's selfish. You deserve a paradise and I can't strip you of that just because of my selfishness."

"You know what, for someone who is a thousand times older than me, you're stupid. You already said that the milk is wasted even before it's spilled. You concluded that I will leave without even asking me if that's what I want."

"Does that matter?"

"It does matter, you asshole. Didn't it occur to you that what if…what you want and what I want is the same thing? Or did the Gravelings really gnaw your brain that bad that you'd preferred to sulk like a pig than to consider that."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

I reached out to him and hold his hands. "No, I know what I'm talking about. And I also know what I want."

He shook his head. "George, you can't do this to yourself."

"I'd taken for granted a lot of wonderful things when I was still alive. I'm not going to do the same mistake again."

"But what about your quota, your Light, your Heaven? Are you gonna just throw it all away?"

"Are you crazy?" That's not what I have in mind. I have no plans of abandoning anything anymore. Not on this second lifetime of mine. "Of course not…I'm gonna make one on my own." I lifted my hand and rest it on his cheek. "Starting now."

Mark smiled. Something I haven't seen for quite a while. "You're one crazy bitch, you know that?"

"And you're an asshole. I can't believe that someone as pathetic as you is feared by billions of people."

He pulled me to him, wrapping me into a tight embrace. "If I can stay with you I won't mind being one."

I closed my eyes as those words touched me deeply. "I love you, Mark, and I will never leave your side."

"I love you too."

As I held him in my arms, everything that I've been through these past 6 years since my death returns to me in utter clarity.

Death for me was just a wake up call. When I died, I realize a lot of important things. I learn how to value those that I often take for granted. I realize my mistakes and how to make them right.

And above all of that, it gave me friends. It returned the sister that I once lost. It gave a meaning to my existence. And most of all, Death gave me love.

So fuck life. Screw second chance. Even if I get one, I will still walk the same path and become a Grim Reaper.

Someone who is taking souls from the living.

Someone who hang out in a Waffle House and squat in a dead man's house.

Someone who read Death Schedules and issue post-its.

Someone, who is Dead Like Me.

**END**

* * *

_**To all that followed and read my fanfiction of Dead Like Me, thank you so much for all the support. :)**_


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